YouTuber faces federal charges after posting footage of one of the most top-secret US facilities
One urban explorer finds himself in hot water, potentially facing federal charges amid accusations that he violated US airspace above one of the country's most secretive facilities. While there's no shortage of interest in these kinds of videos that take us into abandoned buildings, explore hidden gems, or forgotten landmarks, it can sometimes be a legally tricky area. At the end of the day, is it really worth being charged with trespassing for a few YouTube clicks?
Things could be about to get even worse for Stuart Dale Bennett, who faces federal charges amid accusations he violated airspace above a top-secret facility.
Despite only having 63 videos and 114 subscribers, the “Area 82 Surveillance911" YouTube channel shows a passion for flying drones above the likes of missile sites and military ships. As reported by The Independent, Bennett faces federal charges due to his drone footage above a supposed "underground Pentagon" in Maryland. The Raven Rock Mountain Complex is said to be one of the USA's "most closely guarded secret military facilities, roughly comparable to ‘Area 51’ in southern Nevada."
The Raven Rock Mountain Complex is giving us some serious Fallout vibes, supposed to serve as an emergency relocation site for top U.S. officials and 'vital' military operations in the event of a nuclear attack or similar catastrophe.
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Apparently, Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense under President George W. Bush, was actually evacuated to Raven Rock in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. The facility was even mentioned in Netflix's A House of Dynamite as officials fled there.
With all of this continued chatter about World War III, the 650-acre subterranean city sounds like the perfect place to wait out the apocalypse, as it sits deep within a hollowed-out mountain that lies on the Maryland-Pennsylvania border.
A February 12 affidavit alleges that Bennett's videos appeared to show “critical infrastructure of importance to national security." There's a mention of videos titled "Raven Rock Mountain Complex COG Site (2nd Pentagon),” and “Blue Ridge Summit / Former Fort Ritchie Communications Site with lots of secret squirrel antennae," with the filing continuing: "Notably, the Area 82 Surveillance911 YouTube channel actually included video titles that in some cases identifies sites as being considered ‘classified’ or ‘Top Secret.'
“Additionally, Area 82 Surveillance911 had a folder titled, ‘Classified Secret Sites’ which contained approximately seven videos of UAS overflight of U.S. Government facilities."
An investigation into Bennett started when an unidentified U.S. military official apparently contacted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service – yes, the same organization made iconic by NCIS.
A user known as 'mtsxhacker' was identified as the owner of "Area 82 Surveillance911", with agents flagging multiple videos of Raven Rock that "appeared to have been taken from an Unmanned Aircraft System."
They were able to trace the IP address, also subpoenaing YouTube for the email address and phone numbers associated with the account to connect 'mtsxhacker' to Bennett.
It's also said that Bennet had used those same details to "submit unrelated complaints to the FBI."
On September 25, 2025, agents seized a Potensic Atom drone, four micro-SD cards, and an HP Z240 Tower Workstation during a search of Bennett’s home.
The affidavit reiterates that airspace around and above Raven Rock is restricted, while Bennett “did not seek, nor was granted by the relevant U.S. Government authorities, authorization to conduct such overflight.”
When Bennett was interviewed by the FBI and NCIS at the FBI Baltimore Field Office in November 2025, he said "that he owned and flew UAS," but in addition to admitting he was behind Area 82 Surveillance911, said he wasn't properly licensed to fly the drone over military installations.
If convicted, Bennett faces up to a year in jail.